We want to get computer lab updated. A survey of teachers was taken to determine current usage and needs. It was determined that a policy should be in place for the intended usage of tech lab and its equipment, current and future, so
that everyone understood the use for the computer lab. We met in different groups when people could or through emails over four weeks deciding on the verbiage and what should be stated. It was to stay as concise as possible and fit the agency's policy.
Everyone had ideas and contributed them to then have a tentative policy, after also viewing other policies. Since other staff would also use the lab and equipment, it was decided that they also should have input. This first step is encouraging. The iPad was included because it may be an option down the road and even if staff are using their own the policy should be followed.
A verbal consent was received to start the process of up-dating the computer lab. The next step, now that interest has been establish, is to make it more formalized with a set committee. A survey was drafted and sent to the Coordinator/Principal of the building. This survey is asking questions surrounding participation in a committee and concerns along with strengths of the lab so far. The idea is to make everyone a part of what happens so that they all take ownership.
Software Review
There are many sites, programs, lessons and units available. I found several and came up with one to use in reviewing them. This help me to determine if its for our students, due to disabilities, and if they are sustainable. So I collect them and receive suggestions from teachers and put them on a spreadsheet. The teachers tell me why and how Many have been from respected site, like Thinkfinity or Read,Write,Think so I include them. Others I check out for validity and sustainability..
In collecting resource I have found many willing to share and others who prefer no to pass on information. The sites chosen have been acceptable. Now it's whether the tool or program fits the new Common Core. The updates need to be streamlines and more organized.
This minimal pilot proved beneficial. I will formalize it more with a wiki page for suggestions and as a collection of tools and lessons to support the teachers and students.
The additional need is the support that it can offer to our students. These can be used by them throughout life to minimize disabilities. This will be on-going as tutorial, if not, available, will have to be created. A technology academy. on line might also be the next step to offer help through tutorials.
Resources
There is planned to collect sites and other resources to support the teachers and the students. It grew o of the FE above. I started to attend workshop on iPads and resources for differentiating instruction. The teachers who I sent suggestions to for resources asked for them to be in one place, so i know there was interest. Then I received feedback on keeping or not using these resources. I then put them on a spreadsheet with a purpose such as for informational writing, earth science, narrative writing, etc. I received positive feedback on this also.
The teachers did respond and asked for more suggestions and then gave feedback. They were taking ownership of the instruction and the supports that were needed, as determined by their response. They let me know specifics on why they liked or couldn't use a resource. I then found a tool to support the resource with their idea in mind and the response was positive. Such a great site on volcanoes that was interactive and informative but all students could read the site. I incorporate a text to speech and passed on headphone so that every student had access. The response form the students were amazing.
I am designing a site that will organize the resources for subjects but also for tools to support learning so that all have access.
The teachers who have viewed it so far are offering suggestions for future implementation. I want to make it easy for them to make suggestions so that everyone, even the less tech savvy will find the site useful. This should be there site with me managing it for them. Tutorials may need to be added for this purpose.
Conferences
I attended two conference over the last year: Ohio eTech (3 days) and Ohio Innovative Learning Environment (5days) both in Columbus, Ohio area. The topics covered software to hardware, iPads mostly and their innovative use when integrating into instruction. The topics are presented per sessions attended with my comments on the Leadership of my ePortfolio.
The technology and ways that it was being integrated gave me ideas for application with special needs population through training teachers to working with students. The more I heard , the more I was convinced that we are getting close to accessibility and equity for all learners. The supports that we can supply to the teachers and students will open more paths to learning. Many of the resources are out there, but its collecting the ones that would be most effective and beneficial to our teachers and students plus training them on it will be the challenge.
I am starting some wiki pages to collect and disseminate resources to teachers and then have feedback. With these pages, I am including background information so that they understand why and how to make effective choices of technology and its integration. By helping the teachers meet their needs, I can also provide the teachers with skills when designing an effective learning environment.
SMART training
The teachers requested training on the interactive technology that was installed in their rooms this year. From past trainings, I know that just presenting the technology and its features overwhelms them quickly. So, I changed the approach to cover how the feature will help them meet their students needs. This doesn't change the information and skill presented but add an application to it.
By giving the teachers a practical application for the feature/skill they will remember it longer and think about the uses of technology to enhance learning. This leads to other applications and they are in charge of the technology as a tool but not held to it.
The future training will reflect applications. Plus, it's difficult to get the support needed when back in the classroom, so developing tutorials that are available when needed will also decrease frustration with technology and increase its integration. I will add a question/response widget to all internet pages for teacher to contact me quicker and at the moment they have a concern or question.
Mentor
We are entering data into a easyCBM, an assessment system online. A teacher needed more help on how to do this and in how to interpret data when planning further assessments and instruction. By helping her daily to enter and interpret the data the teacher prints out reports, graphs, to use on her IEP's and in her meetings. Some students are showing slow progress and she needed to understand how to determine the extent of progress. The technology eliminated the math and presented data in such a way as to make her decisions quicker and more effective in the areas of instruction and student support.
The teacher is focused on what the data can tell her about her students and instruction and not on figuring out the math. The technology not only gives her results quickly but also allows for her to print graphs that visually show her student's progress.
Since the technology aspect is understood and now being used, the next step is to use interventions to find the most effective one for each student. By getting results instantly the teacher can determine if a strategy/intervention is working and to what degree. Since the teacher is al little more confident with technology, this will also let me introduce other technology to support instructional strategies or to support the student.
SMG workshop
SMG, student measured growth will be part of the teacher evaluation for next year as they design SLO, student learning objectives. The workshop put on Ohio Department of Education was to give further ideas on how to assess and measure student growth.
Ideas for helping teachers to show growth could be supported by technology. As I listened to the explanations and walk-through of some established already, I considered how we could accomplish with special needs students using technology as valuable tool for data collection.
Explore data collection programs and apps available to help teachers collect data and then set up meeting to interpret the data. This will drive their instruction even more than it has in the past. An inventory of what they have available, their own and the schools. Then a survey of how comfortable they are in using it will be necessary. Interpreting and directing instruction will be the easy part.
Coursework
Grant writing
Technology Review Plan
Wiki Reflections
Pre-Competency Verification
21st Century Skills
I have written grants and received around $14,000 over 5 years to integrate technology. This grant was to the same organization: The McGinty Foundation. In writing grants, This current one is for blended learning so that student can move at their own pace and receive supports as needed. Accessibility is not a deterrent for learning.
I had to review the needs of the school to write grants but in writing a technology review plan I saw a more formalized approach and to see the bigger picture for sustaining technology.
By reviewing articles on different aspects of technology I gained more background knowledge to use in future decisions and applications of technology. See review page for each of these.
By looking at goals for a technology facilitator, I was able to determine my strengths and weakness in the field of technology by citing specific examples.
As students are exposed to technology from birth, To determine what do teachers need to know so that they can also use this technology effectively in their instruction. They have to keep student engaged but also make sure that they are prepared for the future and in some of our students cases, how to use technology to minimize disabilities.
I knew of this resource for funding and the importance of clearly stating objectives, action steps and then assessments in obtaining financial support.
By reviewing the technology plan of a district I realize the importance to sustaining the technology so that gains can be maintained. The continued training of the staff in its use and especially its application is critical for success.
Technology changes so quickly and studies are being conducted for its application in education so keeping up is critical for creating a supportive and effective learning environment.
I learned an area to work on more was in getting staff engaged and to take ownership for their mastery of technology.
This helped to clarify that staff need continual professional development and at different degrees and levels of knowledge and instruction. Like at tool, technology is being used but mostly as a substitution for what was and not to enhance..
Continue to explore and track funding opportunities as they arise so that integration of technology can be maintained. The staff needs to be made aware also so that they can help determine a need and then to carry it out for accurate assessment of its effectiveness.
Determining goals and measuring success is an important part of technology planning so momentum can be maintained. I want to provide more application trainings online or in person so that staff can realize all the potential of the technology that they currently have before bringing in possible duplication tools. Money can be used more effectively elsewhere to support instruction and help minimize the students disabilities. Technology planning is critical and knowing what supports and funds to maintain it will be critical to move forward.
I have joined organizations for technology and signed up for on-line newsletters, publications, or feeds so that I can determine if an area needs to be explored more in working with at-risk students with learning disabilities.
I will increase my knowledge of strategies and skills in supporting staff at their different levels of confidence and skill through conferences and readings.
I want to focus on trainings from individual support to small group to large group and in-person or through the internet. I have to base this on feedback from the staff and build their confidence levels in learning and using technology based on assessing results.
Table of Contents
Internet, Computer and
iPad usage
that everyone understood the use for the computer lab. We met in different groups when people could or through emails over four weeks deciding on the verbiage and what should be stated. It was to stay as concise as possible and fit the agency's policy.
Software Review
The additional need is the support that it can offer to our students. These can be used by them throughout life to minimize disabilities. This will be on-going as tutorial, if not, available, will have to be created. A technology academy. on line might also be the next step to offer help through tutorials.
Resources
The teachers who have viewed it so far are offering suggestions for future implementation. I want to make it easy for them to make suggestions so that everyone, even the less tech savvy will find the site useful. This should be there site with me managing it for them. Tutorials may need to be added for this purpose.
Conferences
SMART training
Mentor
SMG workshop
Grant writing
Technology Review Plan
Wiki Reflections
Pre-Competency Verification
21st Century Skills
I had to review the needs of the school to write grants but in writing a technology review plan I saw a more formalized approach and to see the bigger picture for sustaining technology.
By reviewing articles on different aspects of technology I gained more background knowledge to use in future decisions and applications of technology. See review page for each of these.
By looking at goals for a technology facilitator, I was able to determine my strengths and weakness in the field of technology by citing specific examples.
As students are exposed to technology from birth, To determine what do teachers need to know so that they can also use this technology effectively in their instruction. They have to keep student engaged but also make sure that they are prepared for the future and in some of our students cases, how to use technology to minimize disabilities.
By reviewing the technology plan of a district I realize the importance to sustaining the technology so that gains can be maintained. The continued training of the staff in its use and especially its application is critical for success.
Technology changes so quickly and studies are being conducted for its application in education so keeping up is critical for creating a supportive and effective learning environment.
I learned an area to work on more was in getting staff engaged and to take ownership for their mastery of technology.
This helped to clarify that staff need continual professional development and at different degrees and levels of knowledge and instruction. Like at tool, technology is being used but mostly as a substitution for what was and not to enhance..
Determining goals and measuring success is an important part of technology planning so momentum can be maintained. I want to provide more application trainings online or in person so that staff can realize all the potential of the technology that they currently have before bringing in possible duplication tools. Money can be used more effectively elsewhere to support instruction and help minimize the students disabilities. Technology planning is critical and knowing what supports and funds to maintain it will be critical to move forward.
I have joined organizations for technology and signed up for on-line newsletters, publications, or feeds so that I can determine if an area needs to be explored more in working with at-risk students with learning disabilities.
I will increase my knowledge of strategies and skills in supporting staff at their different levels of confidence and skill through conferences and readings.
I want to focus on trainings from individual support to small group to large group and in-person or through the internet. I have to base this on feedback from the staff and build their confidence levels in learning and using technology based on assessing results.